Presents

The Incredible Hulk

As you probably know by now, I'm a huge comic book geek.  I have been since...well, forever really, but it's like some kind of infection, it never really leaves your system.  Well, that being said, I had to (not wanted to HAD TO) head out on opening day to check out the new movie, The Incredible Hulk.  And, I have to say, as a comic fan, I was very impressed, but as a movie goer (and if I was a non-comic guy) I would have probably been a bit disappointed.

  This movie is not really a sequel to the first (and awful) Hulk, this one is more of a continuation/restart., this one has more in common with the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno series from the 70s.  We open with a title sequence that retells the origin of the Hulk and then we move right into the story.  We find Bruce Banner living in Portugal, hiding from the U.S. Government.  But you know the Feds, they'll eventually find you, and they do and the chase is on...which prompts our first transformation into the Hulk.  This time, the Hulk isn't the generic sort of monster from the movie from the 2003 movie, this time the Hulk is less of an all consuming monster and more of a Mr. Hyde to Banner's Jekyll.  The story follow Banner as he tries to rid himself of the Hulk, while denying the serum (which is in his blood) to the government, who wants to use it as a weapon. 

As the story moves forward, Banner and the Army clash at a University, which gives us a much better look at the new CGI Hulk, which, by the way, is pretty good, and much better than the 2003 version (in my never to be humble opinion).  What Banner doesn't know is that the government has developed their own super-soldier from the serum.  SIDEBAR, this super-soldier serum (for you comic impaired out there) is what made Steve Rogers into Captain America during World War 2 (which is referenced in the movie) and sets up a very nice attachment to the Captain America movie which is already scheduled to hit theatres in 2010!  SIDEBAR ENDS.  Now, the government has it's own version of the Hulk, which is called The Abomination.  And, we have a clash of monsters as Hulk and Abomination fight on the streets of New York.

Now, there are subtle nuances to The Incredible Hulk that you might not see, unless you've been a fan for many years...as I have.  You can make the obvious comparison to Beauty And The Beast as the Hulk is only calmed by Betty Ross.  But, here's my take on this.  Hulk is really all men, we're large, we can be aggressive and we frequently get out of control.  And Betty is all women, they have a calming effect on the savage beast.  You can take the analogy a set further and see that since Betty calms the Hulk and the Hulk actually seeks out Betty, the whole movie is an allegory for marriage.  We men see out our personal Betty Ross' to tame the Hulk inside of us.  Pretty Deep, eh??  Well, all that being said, The Incredible Hulk is a great movie, if you're a fan, if you're not a fan, don't go expecting non-stop action, as there's a pretty deep love story between Banner and Ross that's sort of central to the story (and has been since the 60s), I saw a lot of small children at the movies, most of which got pretty bored before the first half hour was out, so it's not really a movie for kids...even though the parts where the Hulk is in full effect, it's just what the kids want...and the big kids, like me.  Overall, I'm giving The Incredible Hulk three and a half out of four cigars, while I enjoyed it immensely, I don't think the average movie-goer would.  I'm pretty sure that you have to be a comic book geek to really enjoy this movie thoroughly!  So, until next time, when I'll be stripping myself of all clothing except my pants and destroying the neighborhood, remember that the best movies are bad movies.